How to Choose a Recliner: A Guide for Enthusiastic Future Owners

A reclining chair adds a touch of style and luxury to any entertainment room, deck, or even living room. As long as you have it there, regardless if it’s in the center or not, you are bound to get some interesting comments and questions, especially on how to choose a recliner like yours.

It might be a question of when, where and how, but it makes you look more the enthusiastic owner if you can provide a thing or two about the recliner chair that you have and how you came upon it.

Of course, you don’t have to be a master storyteller to tell the story of your purchase but at least know some details like the kinds of recliners or the standard features and what to look for when choosing one. It doesn’t even have to be as accurate as a furniture brochure, as long as you get the main points right, you should be good to go.

Kinds of Recliners

You might have gone through a phase in your life wherein you thought that recliners were these bulky, leather-upholstered chairs that speak of luxury and come with an extending back and footrest. The image you recalled is one of the several types of reclining chairs that you can choose from. Here are some of them:

Two-Position ChairsThe two-position reclining chair is your typical recliner with an extending back and footrest. These recliners take up a lot of space to lean back and extend forward. In its most basic form, this chair has limited functionality as it only has two modes: fully reclined or upright, with nothing much in between. More advanced versions try to address this with added features and powered internal mechanisms.

RockersThis is a different version of the two-position as this recliner gives you more angles. The back and footrest are not dependent on the movement of the other, as compared to the two-position chair. With this recliner, you can extend the footrest and then angle the backrest to one that’s more comfortable without having to recline it fully. This kind of recliner takes up a little less space due to its ability to restrain the backrest angles.

Push BacksTaking up less space than other reclining chairs, push backs don’t have an extending footrest with the only moving part being the backrest. This chair is often paired with an ottoman if a footrest is needed.

Wall HuggersWall-hugging recliners are much like the Rockers, but the clearance needed at the back is much narrower, and only the footrest can fully extend forward. These are often the best recliners for people with small spaces.

Lift ReclinersThese are mechanized recliner chairs that use a special motor that lets you recline the chair to the angle that you want, and it can also lift you up to a standing position, so you don’t have to exert all the effort. This is typically the priciest among reclining chairs, and it also takes the most space, especially the clearance up front.

Modified ReclinersNewer designs include a complete set of recliners, customized to become one large unit or be separated as individual units with detachable armrests. These would, of course, take up the most space, but they will speak highly of your taste and affinity to comfort and luxury.

Standard Features of a Recliner Chair

The features that recliner chairs offer homeowners define most of them, and the status quo that they currently enjoyed are mostly based on how great these features are. Aside from being a great seating option, recliners have the following standard features:

Massage and Heat

Modern recliners offer to massage your back while providing you a heated treatment. A vibrating mechanism gently massages your back as you relax in the chair, which helps a lot when dealing with muscle and joint pain management.

USB Charger

Newer recliners have one or two USB ports to which you can plug in your phone charger and recharge your device. This lets you sit in comfort while waiting for the battery to be full. This also means you don’t have to worry about missing calls while lounging around, just plug the phone in and sit back.

Swiveling Base

Swivels let you position your chair to a more comfortable angle just by swinging it towards the direction that you want. This also makes for a cool, yet dangerous, children’s merry go round.

Power Mechanism

Newer recliners use a motorized mechanism that lifts and reclines the chair automatically via a remote or through buttons found on the armrest. This effectively replaces manual levers and push back hinges.

Pockets and Cups

Recliners nowadays come with several pocket sizes to keep magazines and snacks in, as well as armrest cup holders that can snugly hold your mugs and soda bottles.

Easy to Clean

Things can get messy while in a reclining chair, especially if you don’t want to get up and do anything about it. Newer models have upholstery that can easily be cleaned by wiping it down with a damp cloth.

How to Choose a Recliner

Knowing the different kinds of recliners and familiarizing yourself with the standard features of a recliner are just the beginning steps of knowing how to choose a recliner. In fact, they are the prerequisite to use the following factors to your advantage:

Measure It

How much space do you have and how much room are you willing to let go? Measure the area you have first and check which recliner type is best for it. Remember that there is a required clearance all around plus allowances to ensure that it works as it should be.

Frame It

What kind of frame do you want? Most people would go for recliners with hardwood frames as these have been proven to be more sturdy and durable compared to other materials.

Sit On It

There are typically only a couple of choices when it comes to the foam that goes inside a recliner chair; it’s either you go with synthetic foam that can imprint your body’s shape, or you can go organic and use more expensive materials like goose or duck down.

Feel It

What kind of upholstery do you want? Leather upholstery is classy but can be hot during summer while PU leather retains the classy look of genuine leather but is cooler on your skin. Denim and vinyl upholstery are also available if you are looking into more comfortable seating.

Explore It

What functions do you want your chair to have? Surely, you would want to have more than just a chair with leaning backrest and an extending footrest. Explore the different features and rank them by how badly you want them to be with the chair.

Style It

Typically, recliners come in a singular form with slight modifications for the features that they carry. However, this does not mean that some manufacturers have not gone rogue and came up with designs that can appeal to certain demographics. Check out their products and see which one can fit the character of your house.

Choosing the Right Recliner

Recliners have been around for quite some time, albeit under different names, and this means that it is here to stay. They may have various features, and some have gone into an extensive evolution of features but knowing the different types is always helpful, as well as the features that you might expect. Arm yourself with enough knowledge of these things as they can come in handy during parties and even water cooler conversations.

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